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Gallery Notes Volume 45 Number 1

Gallery Notes Volume 45 Number 1 Page 1

GALLERY NOTES
July-August 1979
Vol. 45, No. 1
Acquisition:
A New Treasure for Rochester
Noah North (1809-1880) painted the portraits of his
fellow citizens in the days before the camera,
producing closely observed depictions of the newly
prosperous farmers, small businessmen, bankers and
judges who had settled in Western New York and
who sought to record for their descendants the
likenesses of themselves, their wives, and their
children, and sometimes their family pets.
Although little known even in his own time, North's
work, in its display of confidence and strong sense of
design, measures up to the best in American folk
painting and, according to an article on him in
Antiques (November 1977), well deserves the
attention it is now beginning to receive.
NOAH NORTH (American, 1809-1880)
Pierrepont Edward Lacey and His Dog Gun, ca. 1837
oil on canvas, 42 x 30
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Robert Dunn, 1978
The Gallery is fortunate to have in its collection five
portraits by North, who was born in the town of
Alexander in Genesee County just to the west of
Rochester, and who lived in this area most of his life.
The portrait of Pierrepont Edward Lacey,
reproduced here, is one of a group of three North
portraits that were the recent generous gift of Mr. and
Mrs. Robert Dunn of Pittsford, New York. Already in
our collection were two other paintings also
attributed to North — the portraits of Ruth Tillotson
Miller and Elijah Talcott Miller, both painted around
1835, the gift in 1974 of Robert C. Miller in memory of
Sophia Miller.
The recent firm attribution to North of these five
paintings is the result of investigations begun at the
Gallery some years ago by our former director, the
late Harris K. Prior, and confirmed by the researches
of the authors of the Antiques article, Nancy C.
Muller and Jacquelyn Oak.
Muller and Oak write of North's style: "While relying
on the formulas that typify mid-nineteenth-century
American portraiture, North nevertheless developed
an assured and distinctive style that makes his work
readily identifiable. The features of his sitters are
sharpy delineated and facial modeling is
accomplished through the use of grayish flesh
tones. Ears are distinctly oversize with prominent C-
shape inner curves; fingers are long and narrow with
blunt nails; bits of lace, ribbon, and jewelry are
minutely detailed; bright touches of color in faces
and clothing contrast with the muted gray and brown
backgrounds."
According to biographical facts assembled by Muller
and Oak, North was educated by his father, a farmer
who was active in his community and "a man of
superior attainments." It is possible, although not
known for certain, that the younger North may have
studied painting with Van Rensselaer Hawkins, who
taught art in his home town of Alexander. In any
case, by the mid-1830s North was well along in his
career of painting portraits in Alexander and in
neighboring towns. In 1837-38 he was recorded as
being in Ohio, and advertisements for his works are
said to have appeared in (to page 2)
Memorial Art Gallery of the University of Rochester

GALLERY NOTES
July-August 1979
Vol. 45, No. 1
Acquisition:
A New Treasure for Rochester
Noah North (1809-1880) painted the portraits of his
fellow citizens in the days before the camera,
producing closely observed depictions of the newly
prosperous farmers, small businessmen, bankers and
judges who had settled in Western New York and
who sought to record for their descendants the
likenesses of themselves, their wives, and their
children, and sometimes their family pets.
Although little known even in his own time, North's
work, in its display of confidence and strong sense of
design, measures up to the best in American folk
painting and, according to an article on him in
Antiques (November 1977), well deserves the
attention it is now beginning to receive.
NOAH NORTH (American, 1809-1880)
Pierrepont Edward Lacey and His Dog Gun, ca. 1837
oil on canvas, 42 x 30
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Robert Dunn, 1978
The Gallery is fortunate to have in its collection five
portraits by North, who was born in the town of
Alexander in Genesee County just to the west of
Rochester, and who lived in this area most of his life.
The portrait of Pierrepont Edward Lacey,
reproduced here, is one of a group of three North
portraits that were the recent generous gift of Mr. and
Mrs. Robert Dunn of Pittsford, New York. Already in
our collection were two other paintings also
attributed to North — the portraits of Ruth Tillotson
Miller and Elijah Talcott Miller, both painted around
1835, the gift in 1974 of Robert C. Miller in memory of
Sophia Miller.
The recent firm attribution to North of these five
paintings is the result of investigations begun at the
Gallery some years ago by our former director, the
late Harris K. Prior, and confirmed by the researches
of the authors of the Antiques article, Nancy C.
Muller and Jacquelyn Oak.
Muller and Oak write of North's style: "While relying
on the formulas that typify mid-nineteenth-century
American portraiture, North nevertheless developed
an assured and distinctive style that makes his work
readily identifiable. The features of his sitters are
sharpy delineated and facial modeling is
accomplished through the use of grayish flesh
tones. Ears are distinctly oversize with prominent C-
shape inner curves; fingers are long and narrow with
blunt nails; bits of lace, ribbon, and jewelry are
minutely detailed; bright touches of color in faces
and clothing contrast with the muted gray and brown
backgrounds."
According to biographical facts assembled by Muller
and Oak, North was educated by his father, a farmer
who was active in his community and "a man of
superior attainments." It is possible, although not
known for certain, that the younger North may have
studied painting with Van Rensselaer Hawkins, who
taught art in his home town of Alexander. In any
case, by the mid-1830s North was well along in his
career of painting portraits in Alexander and in
neighboring towns. In 1837-38 he was recorded as
being in Ohio, and advertisements for his works are
said to have appeared in (to page 2)
Memorial Art Gallery of the University of Rochester